EAT: LUNCH AT PONTY BISTRO WINTER 2021

Harlem Bespoke: After the confusion about the filming on site at Ponty Bistro last week, we decided to drop by the eatery at the corner of West 139th Street for lunch to see how things are going.  New York City now has 35 percent limited capacity at restaurants and those who are a little trepidatious should go during lunch hours since there really is not a crowd especially when they open at noon.   As can be seen in the above photos, the restaurant was empty when we sat down to eat.  A lot of outdoor tables can also be found for those who want to go that route.

It was probably the last really chilly day of winter today so comfort food was on our minds and starting out with the fried calamari never fails to please.  The fry technique was perfect and the red sauce with African spices really highlighted the seafood offering.  Then came the lamb hamburger and fries which actually might be most under rated burger to found uptown.  It is the only patty we have had that fresh herbs are mixed into the seasoned ground meat and are noticeably quite visible after the first bite.  Really excellent!  There is also a secret African burger sauce that is an accent which provided another element of surprise to the experience along with the melted gruyere cheese.

Ponty combines French with West African influences and has been an anchor to the dining scene by Strivers Row for many years now.  Our belief is that it was quite clear filming was going on in the neighborhood last week and any uptowner who has been around the block for more than a second would know what that was all about.  We definitely picked up on the fake news and for the most part stopped the rampant false reporting that Ponty was close and was replaced by this other establishment: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2021